Life & Chemistry

Life & Chemistry

Microbial hair: It's electric

Some bacteria grow electrical hair that lets them link up in big biological circuits, according to a University of Southern California biophysicist and his…

Life & Chemistry

Researchers Discover a New Class of Highly Electronegative Chemical Species

Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University, McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., and the University of Konstanz in Germany report their…

Life & Chemistry

Mathematics ensures clean water

Drinking water is a vital prerequisite for all life on earth and is therefore probably our most important resource. However, this resource is also becoming…

Life & Chemistry

Unveiling the Epigenetic Code: Histones Beyond Structure

The function of its packaging proteins, the histones, was believed to be exclusively structural. Additional genetic information can be stored, however, and…

Life & Chemistry

So that’s why we’re allergic to sun creams

A growing hole in the ozone layer and a change in sunbathing habits have brought an increase in the number of cases of skin cancer worldwide. One way of…

Life & Chemistry

Voracious comb jellyfish ‘invisible’ to prey

The North American comb jellyfish Mnemiopsis leidyi has long been known to consume vast quantities of zooplankton. A few years ago the species became…

Life & Chemistry

New Insights on Autoimmune Diseases: MS and GBS Explained

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) – the two autoimmune diseases covered by the thesis – can follow vastly different courses, with…

Life & Chemistry

UT Southwestern Leptin Trial for Type 1 Diabetes Patients

This is the first type 1 diabetes treatment trial involving leptin, which is naturally produced by fat cells and involved in body-weight regulation. For this…

Life & Chemistry

Study identifies neural pathways governing switching of fear responses in the zebrafish

A new study on the behavior of the zebrafish by researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute has uncovered a key role for a region of the brain called the…

Life & Chemistry

Rocking the death dance

A RIKEN-led team of molecular biologists has determined why human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells undergo apoptosis, or…

Life & Chemistry

Adult Rabbit Cells Recast as Stem Cells Show Lab Potential

These induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells of rabbits are likely to be used as a laboratory model of human iPS cells, the researchers say—in particular, for…

Life & Chemistry

Bee Colony Collapse Associated with Viral, Fungal Infection

Shan Bilimoria, a professor and molecular virologist, said the bees may be taking a one-two punch from both an insect virus and a fungus, which may be causing…

Life & Chemistry

New Oral Delivery System Targets Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

In the Oct. 10 advance online edition of the journal Nature Materials, researchers describe how they encapsulated short pieces of RNA into engineered particles…

Life & Chemistry

New Insights Into Genetics of Obesity and Fat Distribution

An international consortium has made significant inroads into uncovering the genetic basis of obesity by identifying 18 new gene sites associated with overall…

Life & Chemistry

Virtual research institute needed to unlock RNA's promise

A Europe-wide network of labs focusing on RNA research is needed to make the most of RNA's high potential for treating a wide range of diseases. The…

Life & Chemistry

Scientists Observe Cell Shape Formation for First Time

All plant and animal cells rely on an elaborate array of molecular rods built from the protein tubulin. These rods, called microtubules, organize the cell and…

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